attract new jobs and businesses and provide the opportunity to shape our state's future in the 21st century."

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, is one of the world's leading providers of communications services.

Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with more than 101 million access line equivalents and

more than 27 million wireless customers. A Fortune 10 company with more than 260,000 employees and approximately $60 billion in 1999 revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.